Device for severing thread ends and thread-change loops on fabric selvedges



Jan. 12, 1965 SPRUNGLI 3,164,879

DEVICE FOR SEVERING THREAD ENDS AND THREAD-CHANGE LOOPS ON FABRIC SELVEDGES Filed June 19, 1962 Louis SPRUNGLI INVENTOR. Y ,Tfl

Wig AGENT United States Patent "ice This invention relates to a device designed for severing threads ends and thread-change loops on fabric selvedges and comprising a toothed cutter located over a suction compartment, a cooperating cutter-comb plate and a feed table or platform preceding the cutter and serving as a bearing for the web, said table being formed by spaced lamellae or vanes extending parallel to the running direction of the selvedges, the air gaps between the lamellae communicating with the suction compartment.

The accompanying drawing shows, by way of example, one preferred embodiment incorporating the invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the device;

FIG. 2 is an axial section of the cutting head drawn to a larger scale;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the device seen in the direction of the arrow III in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the device with the cutter comb plate removed; and

FIG. 5 shows, in elevation, the side of the cutter-comb plate adjacent to and facing the cutter.

The device shown includes a cutter head 1 which is flanged to an electric motor 2 and provided with a support 3 for mounting the device. The cutter head 1 possesses a casing 4 whose bottom or base 4a (FIG. 2) is fixed to the motor casing by screws 5 and which is overlain by a cutter-cornb plate 6 (for brevity hereinafter called plate) on the side of head 1 remote from the electric motor. The plate 6 rests on spacers 8 (FIG. 4) and is attached to the casing bottom 4 by screws 7 (FIG. 3). On the fabric-feed side the plate 6 has a cutter comb 9 that is provided with teeth parallel to the median line A-B (FIG. 3) of the selvedge of a fabric web 23. Along its inner surface, the plate 6 is engaged by a circular cutter It which has radial cutting teeth 10a, and which rests on a cutter holder 12 firmly connected to the motor shaft 11. Blade or cutter It) is resiliently pressed against the plate 6 by a helical spring 14 disposed in a circular groove 13 of holder 12. The outer edge of the bearing surface of the cutter holder 12 has arranged thereon driving pins 15 which are angularly offset relatively to one another by angles of 120 and are received in corresponding holes 16 in cutter It). Numeral 17 denotes a plurality of angularly spaced air-inlet openings formed in the cutter 10. The cutter-head casing 4 has attached to it an air-suction conduit 18 for connection to the flexible tubing of a suction blower, dust exhauster or like reduced-pressure source, numeral 19 designating the reduced-pressure or suction compartment. Opposite the suction conduit 18 is an inclined opening or suction aperture 19a having a feed platform 20 disposed therein. The latter is formed by a holder 21 in which transversely spaced vane-like guide-lamellae 22 are received and which is set in such a way that the bearing surface 20 formed by the lamellae 22 for the selvedge is tangential to the cutting circle of 3,164,879 Patented JEIDyIZ, T965 the cutter 10. The air gaps between the guide lamellae 22 are exposed to the action of the suction current which enters through the grid-like table surface and causes the loose thread ends or thread loops 23a to sag downwards from the bearing surface 24 so that the thread portions can easily be cut off by the cutting device 9, 10. The lamellae 22 form guide means substantially coplanar with the cooperating edges of the cutting device for maintainin g the web 23 in the proper position.

The feed table 20 is attached from below to the bottom of casing 4 by means of screws 24 tranversing oblong slots 24a therein, at' a horizontal distance from the cutting device, and is vertically adjustable by exchangeable spacer plates or shims 24b. Any thread ends entering between the plate 6 and rotary cutter 10 are comminuted by fine grooves 25 and 26 formed in plate 6, and carried away as dust. Such removal of the dust is accomplished on the one hand by the oblique position of the grooves 25, 26, and on the other hand by the current of air entering through the apertures 17 into a flat interspace 27 between the rotary cutter 10 and the plate 6 and issuing radially outwardly at the ends of the grooves 26. The flat interspace 27 is formed .by a suitable recess in plate 6 in the neighborhood of the grooves 25.

A lubricant tank 28 serves for lubricating the device and is fixed to the plate 6 by means of the screws 7 which also serve for fixing the latter to the casing as noted above. Reservoir 28 is filled with lubricating oil and contains a wick 30, one end of which projects into the flat clearance 27 through a sleeve passing through a hole 31 in plate 6, and rests against the cutter 10. In this way the required quantity of lubricant is fed steadily to the cutter 10. By virtue of the centrifugal force of the rotary cutter 10 and the air current flowing from inside to outside, the lubricant oil is brought between the contacting surfaces of plate 6 and cutter 10, near the periphery of the latter. Numeral 33 identifies the oil-filling opening fitted with a screw closure.

The web 23, with its selvedge to be cleared, is gniided over the cutter head 1 substantially in alignment with the median line A-B (FIG. 3) so that the web rests on the feed table 20 and on the cutting device 9, as shown in FIG. 2. A flexible tube of a suction blower or dust exhauster is connected to the suction branch 18 of the cutter head and effects at the feed table 20 the induction of a powerful stream of suction air which causes the thread portions or loops 23a to sag downwards from the bearing surface 20. As the cutter device rotates, these depending thread ends or thread loops 23a are cut ofi close to the fabric web where the selvedge rests against the cutter device, the web and the device being displaced relatively in the usual manner to trim an entire length of selvedge.

What I claim is:

1. A device for severing projecting thread ends and and loops on fabric selvedges comprising a toothed cutter, a casing receiving said cutter and defining a chamber beneath said cutter for reception of severed threads ends, a source of suction connected to said chamber, a co-operating cutter-comb plate directly above and adjacent said cutter defining the top wall of said casing, and a feed table preceding the cutter and providing a bearing surface for a fabric selvedge, said table being formed by spaced lamellae parallel to the selvedge and having fabricengaging surfaces inclined to the plane of the cutter, said lamellae defining air gaps therebetween communicating with said chamber, said cutter comprising a circumferentially toothed circular disc, whereby the plane of the cutter forms an acute angle to the plane of a fabric passing over said table and comb plate and operates to sever the projecting threads drawn between the lamellae by the suction.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein the cutter comb plate on the side thereof adjacent the circular cutter is provided with a recess forming a flat interspace between said plate and said cutter, said cutter having openings communicating with said interspace, said side of said cutter-comb plate also being provided with fine grooves so that any thread ends entering between said plate and cutter will be ground and carried out in the form of dust.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,356,378 8/44 Capolupo 267 2,643,435 6/53 Scranton et a1 2610.4

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,199,669 6/59 France.

1,983 1800 Great Britain.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

RUSSELL C. MADER, DONALD W. PARKER,

Examiners. 

1. A DEVICE FOR SEVERING PROJECTING THREAD ENDS AND AND LOOPS ON FABRIC SELVEDGES COMPRISING A TOOTHED CUTTER, A CASING RECEIVING SAID CUTTER AND DEFINING A CHAMBER BENEATH SAID CUTTER FOR RECEPTION OF SEVERED THREADS ENDS, A SOURCE OF SUCTION CONNECTED TO SAID CHAMBER, A CO-OPERATING CUTTER-COMB PLATE DIRECTLY ABOVE AND ADJACENT SAID CUTTER DEFINING THE TOP WALL OF SAID CASING, AND A FEED TABLE PRECEDING THE CUTTER AND PROVIDING A BEARING SURFACE FOR A FABRIC SELVEDGE, SAD TABLE BEING FORMED BY SPACED LAMELLAE PARALLEL TO THE SELVEDGE AND HAVING FABRICENGAGING SURFACES INCLINED TO THE PLANE OF THE CUTTER, SAID LAMELLAE DEFINING AIR GAPS THEREBETWEEN COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CHAMBER, SAID CUTTER COMPRISING A CIRCUMFERENTIALLY TOOTHED CIRCULAR DISC, WHEREBY THE PLANE OF THE CUTTER FORMS AN ACUTE ANGLE TO THE PLANE OF A FABRIC PASSING OVER SAID TABLE AND COMB PLATE AND OPERATES TO SEVER THE PROJECTING THREADS DRAWN BETWEEN THE LAMELLAE BY THE SUCTION. 